A three-member Committee consisting of Justice Ministry, Presidential Secretariat and Public Administration Ministry officials will start a separate investigation looking for possible right violations of prisoners at the Angunakolapalassa Closed Prison from today, confirmed Justice and Prison Reforms Ministry Secretary.R M D B Meegasmulla yesterday.
Justice and Prison Reforms Minister Thalatha Athukorala had appointed this Committee close to the first Committee she had appointed to investigate the same following reports and the release of CCTV camera footage related to alleged November 22 assault of prisoners by Angunakolapalassa Prison police personnel.
Asked what happened to the investigations conducted into by the first Committee, Secretary Meegasmulla Meegasmulla said that the Committee had completed their report on the investigation.
“It was to be handed over to Minister Athukorala today. We had yet to discuss its findings before we take any actions on it,” he said.
“Also,” he said, ”We expect the report of the second Committee, that is the Committee comprising officials of Justice Ministry, Presidential Secretariat and Public Administration Ministry, to submit their report by Friday to the minister.”
Minister Athukorala told a media conference at her ministry last Thursday that she will take stern actions against any prison department officer found to have committed any acts of violence against inmates of Angunakolapalassa prison irrespective of their station.
Meanwhile, The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka is said to have summoned the Commissioner General of Police and the Superintendent of Angunakolapalassa Prison and reiterated the need to adhere to the constitutional provisions on freedom of torture and pointed to the Convention Against Torture Act No. 22 of 1994, which criminalizes torture.
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